Instagrammers experience culture and history of Anko-san at "Izu-Oshima Camellia Festival"

In order to convey Anko-san's culture to many people through social media, we invited Instagrammers during the Camellia Festival in Oshima to experience Anko-san attire and culture.

Alexis, who met with one of our Oshima Treasure Islands member, is an Instagrammer with roots in Great Britain and Japan. Hearing that she uses Oshima's camellia oil to maintain her beautiful curly hair, we wanted her to know more about Oshima.

On January 29th, 2022, six Instagrammers came to Oshima. They are Alexis, Marina, Dulmi, Marian, Emily, and Almira.

After arrival, they donned the Anko-san attire and walked around the city. Everyone looked splendid in the traditional checkered costumes.

In order to become familiar with camellia oil of Oshima, we had them experience oil extracting at Izu-Oshima Furusato Experience Center. After that, we conducted a tour at the Takada Refinery.

They felt that the camellia oil that has kept Japanese women's hair healthy since the Edo period suits their hair as well, and were very interested in the producer's stories.

The next day was the opening ceremony of the Camellia Festival. Although the ceremony was downsized due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to show the camellia flowers in bloom up close.

We have also visited Oshima High School, which produces of one of the highest quality camellia oils in Oshima. The students of Agriculture and Forestry department showed us around. It was a good opportunity for both parties. The students were able to introduce their activities to people outside the island, while the visitors were able to learn about the various types of camellia.

"I now want to know more about Oshima." "I want to visit again to experience more." We were able to show the charms of the island through their stay. They have shared their experiences not only in Japanese but in English as well, which may help Oshima be known to the world. We would like to continue our interaction with them.